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Radiotherapy treatment

Radiotherapy, also called radiation therapy, kills cancer cells. It’s used in the early stages of cancer treatment or after it has started to spread. It can also be used to relieve pain and discomfort from cancer that has spread.

Radiotherapy for cancer

Around half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy.

Destroying cancer cells

There are many ways to have radiotherapy but they all work in a similar way. Carefully controlled high-energy X-rays destroy or damage cancer cells. This stops them growing or spreading. Radiotherapy is usually delivered in daily intervals called ‘fractions’. This allows time between treatments for the healthy cells to repair and the cancer cells to die off.

External beam radiotherapy

What is external beam radiotherapy?

External beam radiotherapy uses high-energy radiation beams to destroy cancer cells. Before your treatment begins, we’ll take some imaging scans to establish the precise shape, size and location of the tumour. If your treatment is after your tumour removal surgery, then we’ll take scans to examine the area where the tumour was removed.

External beam radiotherapy at GenesisCare

Find out more about External beam radiotherapy, including how it works and who it’s for.

DIBH at GenesisCare

Image-guided radiotherapy

What is image-guided radiotherapy?

IGRT uses X-rays and scans before, and during, your treatment. It’s used to verify your position and anatomy before the treatment machine is turned on.

The scans show the exact shape, size and location of the tumour. We can then make tiny adjustments to precisely target the treatment area

IGRT can target cancers that move during, or between, treatment sessions. For example, lung cancers that move as you breathe. Or prostate cancer that can move depending on whether your bowel is full or empty

IMRT at GenesisCare

Volumetric modulated arc therapy

What is volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT)?

Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) is a type of IMRT. VMAT is very accurate and maximises radiation to the tumour. The surrounding healthy tissue receives a much lower dose, reducing the risk of side-effects.

VMAT delivers a continuous beam of radiation therapy in an arc that moves around the tumour. It automatically changes the beam shape and radiation dose as it moves

Treatment sessions with VMAT are usually short – around 10 minutes

VMAT can be used when the tumour is close to critical organs. It helps them avoid being damaged by radiation